A banner of the 3D experience introduced at the Chàm Sculpture Museum – one of the most popular destinations in the city – as a new option for tourists exploring the museum. Photo courtesy of Đà Nẵng Tourism promotion centre

ĐÀ NẴNG — The tourism promotion centre in Đà Nẵng has piloted a 3D experience for tourists visiting the Chàm Sculpture Museum – one of the most popular destinations in the city – to boost tourism after the turn of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The centre said all artefacts and exhibits in the four main rooms – Trà Kiệu, Mỹ Sơn, Đồng Dương and Mẫm tower – were scanned to allow visitors to explore the museum in Vietnamese and English.

In 2014, the museum put into operation an audio guide for tourists in 14 languages via smartphones.

The museum, situated on the west bank of the Hàn River, was built in late 1915 with a big contribution from Henri Parmentier, a prominent archaeologist. In mid-1919, he published the first catalogue of the museum, marking its inaugural ceremony.

It preserves and display thousands of artefacts and sandstone statues found at many Chăm towers and excavations from the Sa Huỳnh Culture (between 2,500 and 3,000 years old) in the central region.

A view of Chăm Sculpture Museum of Đà Nẵng. Audio and 3D scanning options are available for tourists visiting the site. VNS Photo Công Thành

Many ceramic fragments, sandstones and bricks that were excavated at the 1,000-year-old Chăm tower site in Đà Nẵng are on display at the museum.

In 2017, the museum and the Southeast Asian Art Academic Programme, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, launched the English-language book, titled Vibrancy in Stone – Masterpieces of the Đà Nẵng Museum of Chăm Sculpture, providing a collection of high-quality photographs highlighting the museum’s attractions to mark its 100th anniversary.

The museum hosts around 200,000 visitors annually. — VNS